(ARCHIVE) Bullying in the Workplace?

Increasingly, we are inundated with stories regarding the epidemic of bullying. We will always remember the story of Phoebe Prince who was bullied by her classmates. And how can we not be moved by the story of Tyler Clementi.

http://www.phoebeslaw.com/

http://www.pointfoundation.org/scholarships/clementi.html

Many examples of bullying include adolescents, teenagers, and those targeted for their sexual orientation. However, these are not the only environments in which bullying can exist.

Recent research has indicated that an estimated 35% of Americans report being bullied at work. Unfortunately, we know the face of this problem all too well, and have witnessed how it operates in an attempt to cause damage to the professional and on some occasions personal reputations of many working men and women.

The Workplace Bullying Institute

In our quest to bring awareness to this problem and what our country can do to assure healthy working environments and relationships, we are committed to partnering with The Workplace Bullying Institute (WBI) and its initiatives to support this movement.

http://www.workplacebullying.org/

At Birmingham Mental Health Examiner, our passion for people is further reflected in our commitment to the science and application of Organizational Psychology. This commitment stems from our past affiliation with an organization that was plagued by this from of psychological violence.

Dr. Gary and Ruth Namie are founders of WBI and psychologists who have professional backgrounds of great diversity. Dr. Ruth Namie is a Clinical Psychologist and in her line of work met her bully. Her experiences marked her commitment to creating the U.S. workplace bullying movement.

http://www.the-drs-namie.com/

Most importantly the institute and its site function as a source of support for targets and also provide leadership with information and opportunity to do the right thing by “bully proofing” their organizations.

What is Workplace Bullying?

Great question! WBI has a great answer ~

Workplace Bullying is repeated, health-harming mistreatment of one or more persons (the targets) by one or more perpetrators. WB (for the purpose of this article) can be in the form of

Verbal abuse (derogatory, condescending, abrasive verbal communications),

Offensive conduct and behaviors – nonverbal, that may be threatening, humiliating, and intimidating.

Work interference – sabotage, preventing work from being done completely or effectively. This is often done in an effort to create a charge of incompetence or insubordination that has the potential to end in premature resignation or termination on behalf of the target.

Yes, these forms can have many different behaviors and situations that correspond. This is the challenge. Unlike physical violence that often has a visible and tangible end result, bullying is often a form of psychological violence and relational, interpersonal aggression – these things are often unseen by the naked eye.

It is important to understand that those who report being bullied at work are not weak employees nor are they low achieving whiners. Targets of this behavior are usually policy and task abiding, capable employees. So, what is the problem? Although this may defy logic for some, the lack of problems is often why someone may be targeted.

The Goal of Perpetrators

Remember that the idea behind any form of targeting is all about perception. If you are experiencing WB, remember that you are not defined nor are you limited by another person’s thoughts and opinions of you. It has very little to truly do with who you are at your core. Because of this, you must not take the problem personally or internalize it emotionally. However, you must support yourself in taking it seriously.

One goal with any bullying is to obtain a desired level of control. What is there to control? WB is a personal assault on and individual with the work often used as the weapon. This behavior can often involve and be assisted by other organizational members with varied hierarchical positioning. When this occurs there may actually be a campaign against an individual (mobbing).

The line of work, relationship dynamics, and various events may all play a role in why this phenomenon may start in a certain workplace environment. On some occasions, this targeting can – have a personal element, meaning that bullying may stem from a personal knowledge, characteristic, skill, or information regarding the target.

WB is not harassment

There is a common misconception that people are simply referring to harassment when they make reference to WB. When we make reference to harassment in the work place we are usually referring to sexual misconduct, discrimination, or a clear identifiable hostile working environment. Our society and government have taken strides in identifying these acts as illegal.

The WBI research indicates that illegal harassment occurs in 20% of bullying cases. What does this mean? From this, we can deductively reason that 80% of the instances persist because this behavior is legal – there are no laws protecting workers from WB.

Our Concern

If you have never been a target you may not understand the big deal. If you have existed in the comforts of the protected the idea that this is a problem or epidemic may be of no concern to you. If you have seen this happen to others or have experienced this yourself, we know you understand its importance. We are here to support you and give you a voice. In many ways, our countries economic slump has exacerbated this problem. Why? Birmingham Mental Health Examiner is dedicating June to highlight and educate you on the issues of Workplace bullying. Stay tuned!